


Stranded

by CyberianTsuinami



Category: Mass Effect
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2012-04-10
Updated: 2012-04-10
Packaged: 2017-12-30 12:32:30
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1018655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CyberianTsuinami/pseuds/CyberianTsuinami
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>What would change in the Mass Effect universe if Shepard and Garrus Vakarian were switched? What would happen if Garrus was the Spectre and Shepard was only a mercenary?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Friends Lost

**Author's Note:**

> Detailed Premise: Shepard has left the Alliance years ago after the tragety at Akuze and is now working as a mercenary. Garrus decided to disobey his father's wishes and continue his Spectre training; he has since been accepted into the Spectres.

He was awoken from a deep sleep by a insistent ringing. It wasn't until his alarm clock broke in several pieces against a far wall that he realized that it was his private line to the Council. He had gotten back from a mission just (he glared at his Omni-Tool to bring it into focus) two hours ago; they usually let him have a day to recover. Whatever it was, it was important. He rolled out of bed reluctantly and patched the line through to his visor. "Vakarian," he said gruffly, not even trying to control his annoyance. They were lucky he had answered the phone at all.

"How soon can you get to the Council chambers?" the turian councilor's secretary asked without preamble. She didn't seem at all bothered by his attitude, and he assumed that he should be thankful that it wasn't the councilor. He would worry about that after he found out what the hell was going on.

He sighed heavily and probably muttered a curse phrase by accident. "Give me twenty minutes," he answered starting to pull on fresh clothes and then his armor over that. There were still dents and grim covering it from his previous mission, and he didn't have the time to clean it. "I assume the details were forwarded to me."

"They're on your Omni-Tool," she answered shortly and closed the feed. She probably didn't even know what the details were; she probably didn't have any better idea about what was going on than he did. Days like today, he wondered if he should have listened to his father and skipped Spectre training for C-Sec, but every time he thought this, he knew that he wouldn't have been satisfied with it.

He passed four humans on his way to the Council chambers. They were standing off to the side of the stairs talking in serious tones; he recognized two of them. The human ambassador he easily recognized; the man was in the Council chambers at least once a week complaining about something. All the Spectres knew him by name and by face, which was impressive since he could barely tell the difference between most humans.

The other man was a living legend, both for humans and everyone else; his name was David Anderson. He was currently a Captain in the Alliance, but he had once been considered for the Spectres. In Garrus' opinion, the only reason the man hadn't made it was because of Saren. Saren might be one of the top Spectre agents, but his hatred of humans was well-known, even by his Spectre compatriots.

The Council seemed unnaturally tense as he approached, and he knew that whatever they had summoned him for wouldn't be good. He had expected this, of course, when they had summoned him in the middle of the night (or at least his) without warning. He also had a sinking suspicion that it would have something to do with the humans he had passed. He didn't know human expressions well, but he had read anger in their faces, especially the dark-haired man he hadn't recognized.

"We have a... situation," the salarian councilor said to start the conversation. He looked worried, which was unusual for the councilor. He usually did well in keeping his expressions neutral, devoid of whatever thought process that was going on in his head.

"Nyhlus is dead," the turian councilor said bluntly. He seemed... displeased but not angry or worried; he showed no obvious signs of distress. It didn't add up. Yes, the councilor was a royal pain in the ass, but Nyhlus had been a turian, a highly decorated Spectre, only second in the ranks to Saren.

"What?" he choked out in surprise, now fully awake since he had received the call that woke him up. "How?" Garrus was very upset by the news, but he held it in check the best he could. Nyhlus had been his training agent; he had been the one that had gotten him into the Spectres in the first place. He was a close friend, and now he was dead. Garrus vowed that he would bring the person or persons responsible in or kill them himself. Those humans had better hope that it hadn't been their fault.

"The humans you no doubt passed on your way here are suggesting that Saren was the one that pulled the trigger," the asari councilor explained. "They say he was on the human colony Eden Prime to capture a Prothean beacon unearthed there. No sooner had Nyhlus sent out with support from the Alliance, it was attacked by the Geth."

"The colony survived," the salarian said in expectation of Garrus' question, "but the beacon was destroyed."

"The humans are claiming that it burnt images into the mind of one of the survivors; a man named Kaidan Alenko," the turian councilor explained further.

"We believe that the Humans are going to try to find evidence of Saren's guilt," the salarian councilor. "We want you to keep an eye on them and make sure any evidence they find is real. We do not want you to stop them; we do not want you to aide them unless you think their evidence is valid."

"This mission is of the utmost secret, Agent Vakarian," the asari councilor explained. "We have evidence that the notorious assassin and mercenary known as Shepard is looking into this as well."

"Capture her if she is working against us; leave her if she is not,"

"Leave her?" Garrus questioned. Shepard (no one knew if that was her real name) was wanted dead or alive by the same council members that were telling him to leave her alone. It didn't make any sense to him, unless she was working for them as well. According to rumors she was the best assassin currently active in Council space and the second best mercenary in the galaxy. She had a knack for commanding a small force; if she wasn't working alone, she would only have two others with her. And yet, she could pull off missions others considered suicidal. Among her acknowledged kills were Spectres, dignitaries, and crime lords. If she was paid to kill them, they died; she never failed, even when she was set up against other assassins or mercenaries.

"Yes, Agent Vakarian," the turian councilor repeated. "Leave her. If she offers to work with you, take her with you; if she goes up against you, kill her."

None of this made sense, but he knew better than to continue to ask questions. They would either refuse to answer them or take him off the case permanently, and he most certainly didn't want to be taken off the case. "I'll get right on it," he said as made his way out of the Council chambers. The humans he had spotted on his way in were no longer there. Knowing his luck, they would have just left, and he would have to wait for the lift to come back up to him. By the time he made it down to the main level of the Proscienium, the humans were no where in sight.

There was a young human female directly across from the elevator, but she appeared to be nothing other than an aide to one of the many diplomats. She was studying something on her Omni-Tool, probably some recent poll. Thinking nothing more of her presence, he made his way over to the railing beside her. With any luck, he would still be able to spot the humans.

"They've already made their way into Barla Von's office," she said quietly as he came up beside her. He nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Who are you and what are you talking about?" he demanded turning his best intimating stare her way. Most people buckled completely under it, but she didn't even seem to flinch. She still continued to stare at her Omni-Tool.

"And here I thought the Council already warned you that I was also on the case," she said without looking at him, but her mouth turned into an almost evil smirk. She still hadn't even made eye contact with him. "It appears rumors of your superior skills were vastly overrated."

He glared at her. She certainly didn't fit the description of the notorious assassin, but that still wasn't an excuse for his lack of perception; he must be more tired than he thought. This was extremely dangerous. Without thinking, he just walked up to the best assassin in the galaxy; she could have killed him right there. Then again, her hair and eyes were the wrong color. This woman had light color hair (he had heard people refer to it as blonde?), but Shepard was known to have dark red hair. Her eyes were blue, and Shepard's were reported to be green. She also didn't have Shepard's tell-tale orange scares. Surely this woman wasn't the assassin.

"The humans you're tacking went into Barla Von's office looking for information. Luckily for you, I know where they are headed, and I have a plan to get them to work with us. That is, if you trust me enough to follow me," she said moving away from the guardrail and towards the elevator to the wards.

For a moment, he thought about his options. He could wait outside Barla Von's office and follow the humans from there, and from what he understand of her plan, Shepard would eventually join back up with them. But then she would be without an escort, and he didn't like way she said that she had a plan. His other option was to follow her and keep an eye on her, but then he wouldn't have any eyes on the Alliance officers. However, he trusted them to not do anything too stupid since they worked for government officials, and it appeared to him that Shepard had some way to track them. In then end, it was a no brainer; he went with Shepard.

She quickly led them to a Citadel Rapid Transportation vehicle. She got in and input their destination as Chora's Den, a gentleman's club at the edge if the ward, just close enough to not have any Ward designation but far enough not to be considered part of the Proscenium. He wanted to ask her more questions, but almost as soon as the doors closed, she started to undress. He quickly adverted his gaze in embarrassment. She laughed. "Never seen a girl undress before, Vakarian?" she teased, and he wasn't sure if she was leading him or not.

"Not that it's any of your business, but yeah," he answered then tried his best to keep from blushing, the turian equivalent. He wasn't sure how well she could read turian expressions. "I just don't find human females attractive."

"You're missing out, Vakarian," she answered with another chuckle as she slid back into the front seat. All of a sudden, she was no longer the respectable woman that he had meet. In the matter of several moments, she had gone from respectable woman to notorious assassin. She had tight fitting, dark colored pants in a fabric he thought was leather (as archaic the fabric was) and a tight vest whose back was nothing but lace; down her right arm and back was a ornate tattoo of a dragon and phoenix (two mythic human animals that he only knew of because the tattoo was in her file) battling each other. Her face also seemed crisscrossed by deep, orange colored scars. He could have sworn that he saw red cybernetics in her eyes almost overloading the green of her irises. Her hair hadn't changed though.

He was going to ask her about the wisdom of heading to Chora's Den in that outfit, but he decided that it was probably better that he didn't. Though she had been friendly so far, there was no guarantee that she wouldn't turn on him; in such tight quarters she had the advantage. She was smaller than most of the humans he had met. She was shorter, though not the shortest; she was thin but obviously capable of killing a man quickly. Overall, he was surprised. He wasn't sure what he expected, but it certainly wasn't what he had found.

"Your awful quiet," she commented as the car started to land at their destination. There was an... aura about her that oozed hubris. It layered everything she said with an air of the feeling that she was laughing at him. He wasn't use to that, not any more at least. He had received that feeling a lot when he had started with the Spectres, but since then, he had earned their respect. Now, he found himself bristling at her dismissal.

"I believe on of your human philosophers said, 'Better to be silent and have people believe you are a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt,'" he answered dismissively and quickly looked around his surroundings to make sure there weren't any unpleasant surprises waiting for him. There was really no telling with this woman.

She chuckled at him. "So you're either only playing the fool, or you actually are one," she said her contempt flowing over her words. "That certainly explains a lot." He turned to glare at her, but all he saw was her back and... backside. He quickly diverted his gaze. He knew that several of his comrades had fallen her victims because they had allowed themselves become enamored with her. He wasn't about to give her that sort of advantage over him.

Cautiously he followed her, but the area surrounding Chora's Den was well-known to be exceptionally quiet, even if (or, if his suspicions were right, because of) the alleged criminal activities that went through the club. He shouldn't really have been concerned. He had come to the club several times in civies and had gotten no trouble; who in their right mind would bother him now that he was in full armor and with an entire armory at his back?

Apparently those guys, he thought sarcastically as soon as he rounded the bend to see two assassins lying in wait for someone, but they hadn't made a move to intercept him or Shepard. Nonetheless, he jumped back into the alcove to give him some cover from the men, but Shepard however seemed to have other ideas because she was on a direct intercept trajectory. He wanted to stop her, question her about what she was doing with a whisper, but they were too close for him to stop her in time. He would just have to listen to the conversation over the comm link that she had set up to him.

"Hello, Gentlemen," she said as she sashayed up to them, her body language dripping with seduction and her face contorted with a beguiling smile. Even without getting the full effect of her attentions, he wanted to give in to her, but he refused to allow himself to think too much on her. "Why don't y'all come on inside? I promise you a good time. I assure you that you won't regret it." She acted almost as if she was drunk.

One of the men was completely in her grip, and he easily let her take his hand to lead him wherever she wanted to go. The other man though seemed to be able to hold out just long enough to know what sort of mayhem would rain down on him if he was to give in to her. "Afraid we can't," he said gruffly but didn't have the will to pull back from her.

Shepard didn't let his answer throw her. Instead, she kept up her act and turned her full attention to him. As she moved closer to the man and started drawing invisible patterns on the chest plate of his armor, the other man moved to hold her from behind and to start to nibble on her neck. "What's so important soldier that can keep such a fine looking man such as you from enjoying the company of such a beautiful woman such as me?"

Even the second man couldn't resist her allure, and he was starting to lower his head to take advantage of her awaiting lips. His partner though was too focused on what he was doing to see that he was giving in too. "Come on, Kriluk," he said heavily into Shepard's neck. "The fools Saren has us tracking haven't even made off the Proscenium yet."

Suddenly, Garrus hear the distinct sound of bare knuckles hitting heavy turian armor. Without another second of hesitation, he turned the corner and started to pull his assault rifle off his back, but before it was even fully extended for battle, Shepard had successfully unarmed them and snapped their necks. For a moment, he just stood there in shock. Here she was unarmed and unarmored, and she had successfully taken on two of Saren's top men.

She smirked at him, her drunken seductress act completely gone. She seemed to be trying to lift one of the bodies. "Well, you going to help me or just stand there staring at me?" she asked, and he found himself stepping to help her before he could stop himself. What is this woman? he questioned, but he couldn't come up with a descent answer. She seemed to be able to get people to do whatever she wanted them to do with minimal effort.

"What are we doing with them?" he asked lifting the second one and slinging his arm across his own shoulders as if the man was simply drunk, not dead.

"Disposing of them, of course," she answered in a flippant, dismissive way. It was like she thought that it was obvious and she was almost annoyed that he didn't see it.

"Where?" he asked, preparing himself to carry this guy at least to the alley.

"Right here," she answered flinging the man she had over the railing and pushing his body so that it would fall down the probably bottomless channel on the other side. "If anyone finds him wherever he lands, they won't be able to identify him except from DNA; but it's more likely that the Keepers will find him first."

He had to admit that the plan had its merits. It kept the bodies out of the way at least long enough for them to finish what they were doing. As he flung the body he was carrying into the blackness though, he wondered just how many bodies she had disposed of this way. He quickly realized that he didn't want to know, but he would certainly make sure that he wasn't one of them.

"Righty!" she said with another evil smirk crossing her face and dusting off invisible dust from her hands. "Now we're back to more important things like finding information and getting my weapons back."

"Your weapons back?" he questioned but found himself falling into step beside her once again.

"Yeah," she said with a dismissive wave like this wasn't even a big deal. "Even in disguise, I couldn't risk taking my weapons on the Proscenium so I left them with someone I knew that I could trust with them. Paid him enough to hold them for me and get information," she muttered as if she begrudged every single credit she had given her contact. "He should have gotten me something useful by now."

Without further ado, she confidently walked into Chora's Den and headed for a table in the back whose sole occupant was an older human male obviously rather far into his drink. He looked at Shepard with the same estimating eye that Saren's two assassins had, and for a moment, he thought that the man was going to join them in the grave, especially after the man's greeting, "That outfit certainly looks good on that bod of yours."

Shepard however just deepened her smirk. "We've already talked about this, Harkin. I would rather gargle acid after chewing on razor blades."

Harken chuckled. Garrus knew a little about the man. He had been the first human in C-Sec, but almost everyone knew that he was a screw up and probably dirty. The man had almost every citation in the books, but the human embassy use to step in for him. With the amount of humans in C-Sec currently, they had stopped covering for him. He had been kicked out of C-Sec a couple of weeks ago. "After my time in C-Sec, I've been called every name in the books. You'll have to do better than that. Who's the turian?" he asked throwing a thumb over his shoulder to point directly at Garrus.

Shepard didn't miss a beat. "Access," was all she told the rather inebriated human. "Now, where's my armor and weapons, and what kind of information do you have for me?"

Harkin sighed. "You're always so busy. We never talk any more."

Shepard's smirk started to falter. As the conversation wore on, she seemed to be in less and less of a good mood, and he hoped for Harkin's sake that the man would just shut up and tell her what she wanted to know. "Harkin, I'm paying you enough for these two simple tasks for you to start another life, but I'm losing my patience. You don't give me the information I want, and I will have to conclude that you're more trouble than your worth."

"Fine, fine," the human said holding his hands up as if to ward off her foul mood. "Morlan in the lower wards is holding onto your weapons and armor for you. Just talk to him, and it'll look like a normal business transaction. I've already bribed him for you so don't let him rip you off.

"As for your crime lord buddy," Harkin continued after he took a drink from his glass, "he's sent men to shut up a human medic in a small clinic up a level and around the corner. His men should be getting there in a few minutes, but she should have information or at least a lead. Now, can I get back to my drinking?"

She smirked. "One last favor and I'll leave you be, Harkin. There should be a group coming to ask you questions. It should be two Alliance soldiers and a krogan mercenary; you're to let them know the same thing that you told me and do whatever want you to give them a bit of a hard time. I will need time to get into my armor after all.""

"The amount your paying me only covered keeping your weapons and armor safe and getting you a lead on Saren," Harkin said with a smirk. "Anything else will cost you more."

For a moment, it looked as if Shepard was really arguing with herself about just how useful Harkin was and whether or not she really needed it. "I'll cover your tab, but that's all your getting Harkin."

"Fine," he said as he finished his drink and waved the waitress over to order another drink. "And make sure it's the good stuff. This nice lady is paying."

"I hope you find something to do, Harkin," Shepard said as she got up from the table, "now that C-Sec finally realized just how much of an embarrassment you are. The humans are reporting to Captain David Anderson; I'm sure that information will help you keep them occupied while I get set up. As soon as they're gone, I suggest you run for the hills, though. It's likely that I'll be stopping back by this bar with guns draw soon afterwards." She stopped by the bar to arrange for Harkin's tab to be paid when he left, and they were on their way towards the Markets.

This conversation, though rather straight forward, caused Garrus to have more questions than before. The questions ranged from 'Why Shepard was so interested in proving Saren's guilt?' to 'What sort of deal had Shepard made with the Council?' As this mission went on, he felt more and more like just a piece of baggage that Shepard decided to carry around.

"I have some questions, Shepard," he said after she got her armor from a nervous-looking salarian. In the end, she had to promise to only buy her gear from him whenever she was on the Citadel, and he could tell that this whole game was starting to wear on her. It was like she was holding a mask over her real emotions and reasons.

"Shoot," she said as she made her way behind some stacked crates. He had enough common sense not to follow her; she had wanted to change into her armor, after all.

"Why Harkin?" he asked. He figured that was a good question to start off with. It was unlikely that she had just met the man on the sidewalk and offered him the job. She must have meet him and worked with him before, and since he had only recently separated from C-Sec, it stood to reason that her previous contact with him had been while he was an officer.

"I use to use him a lot when he was a C-Sec agent," she said confirming his suspicions. "I had blackmail on him that he couldn't let the Executor see so I could get him to do just about anything and get me just about any information for free. Since his split from C-Sec though, his price has skyrocketed."

There was another thing. Where was she getting the credits for this mission? "Who has you going after Saren?" he asked next. If he was stuck helping her, he wanted to know who he needed to charge expenses to.

For a moment though, she didn't say a word. In fact, there was no sound on the other side of the crates. Something about it gave him the impression that she was trying to figure out if she wanted to tell him the truth or not. "No one has hired me to go after Saren," she responded, a clip in her voice as if this information cost her something to admit it.

This rocked his understanding of this issue. He had thought that the Council had hired her to track the rogue Spectre down; she certainly had the skills, and it would keep them from risking their other agents. But he believed that she was telling the truth. The human vocal range was no nearly was ranged as his own kind, and it was easy for him to hear the pain in her voice. "Then why are you tracking him down?" he asked next.

This time though, she seemed prepared for his question since she didn't hesitate to answer, and it sounded like she had gotten her emotions back under control. "My boyfriend was on Eden Prime. He's dead because of Saren, and I plan to track the son-of-a-bitch down and put him through so much pain that he begs for me to end his worthless, pathetic life."

Now this is the famous assassin that I've heard so much about, he thought, but still wondered at the venom that layered her voice. She wanted nothing but straight out revenge, but it was almost a relief that he wasn't helping some gutless politician with his political career. Still, he questioned the wisdom of helping this woman get what she wanted. It was obvious that she would stop at nothing to put a bullet (or something worse) in Saren's skull. Was helping her to her goal really the best idea?

He was still contemplating that when she stepped out from behind the crates in custom painted blue armor and as many weapons as him. She was just snapping her visor into place. Almost absentmindedly, he noticed that it was from the same manufacturer as his, but a model made for humans. It was the quality of the weapons on her back that really concerned him. Her weapons were all Spectre-grade, which only Spectres were authorized to buy. "Where'd you get your weapons?" he asked as he once again fell into step beside her.

"Most I got off men I've killed," she said just a guarded as when he had first met her. She didn't seem at all worried about admitting that she had killed Spectres before, not that it surprised him. It was in her file after all, but he was surprised that she seemed willing to talk about it to another Spectre. And she said it so naturally like it wasn't even that unusual. Perhaps this was all an elaborate ruse to kill him. Almost as quickly as the thought came, he dashed it; it was highly unlikely that he had pissed of anyone with enough funds to kill him. He was considered one of the younger Spectres.

They were passing a young Human woman who seemed to have caught Shepard's eye, and she turned to the woman with a smile. "You're Emily Wong. You're doing a piece on organized crime on the Citadel, correct?"

"Yes," the young woman answered, looking very worried that this harsh looking woman with her turian comrade had taken noticed of her. Even Garrus had to admit that Shepard certainly looked like she belonged in the underworld. Probably because she does, he reminded himself. He couldn't afford to classify her as on his side; she wasn't. It was likely that she would turn on him as soon as he stopped being useful.

"There should be a group with two Alliance officers and a krogan following me shortly. Ask them to see if they can get Fist's files during their investigation. If you address the human male, he should agree to help you. Just don't tell them that I was the one that suggested it, will you?" Shepard said with another blazing smile.

The young woman looked confused and started asking questions about how she knew about her investigation and who she was, but Shepard just kept walking. He was starting to realize just how hodgepodge Shepard's plan actually was. There was no way that she could have known that the human woman would be here; in fact, he had questions about how Shepard had known who she was. He probably would never have an answer to this question, but he still had it nonetheless.

Shepard stopped just outside the med-clinic's door with her ear pressed against it. "There's a struggle. If we hurry, we should be able to get in the door without them seeing us," she said pulling out her pistol.

"But how will we stop them without risking the doctor?" he asked. Surely the doctor knew something; that would be the only reason Fist would send some of his men to take care of her. In all likelihood, the hired thugs would have a gun pointed directly at her. If they made their presence known, the thugs would likely use her as a human shield and hold the gun directly to her head.

Shepard smiled another of her wicked-looking smirks. "We'll just have to hope that our backup team makes a good distraction," she said as she popped the door open and ducked inside. He had no choice but to follow her and hope that this didn't turn out badly.


	2. Overload

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Detailed Premise: Shepard has left the Alliance years ago after the tragety at Akuze and is now working as a mercenary. Garrus decided to disobey his father's wishes and continue his Spectre training; he has since been accepted into the Spectres.
> 
> In Previous Chapters: Garrus Vakarian has met and is temporarily working with a renowned mercenary and assassin known as Shepard to verify if Saren is truly a threat. It is an uneasy alliance.

Kaidan was pissed. First, he had lost two men on Eden Prime while securing a Prothean beacon just to have the damn thing blow up in his face, literally. Secondly, he now had weird visions packed into his already overworked, overpacked head causing his migraines to flair up worse than ever. Then, to top it all off, the Council had basically called him unstable and sent him away without listening to him at all. He was frustrated, angry, and starting to develop another migraine.

But he had a job to do. If the Council wanted evidence, then he would get evidence. Udina suggested a corrupt former C-Sec agent, but he didn't trust the source. First of all, C-Sec had already blown their investigation; the asari Councilor herself had said that their investigation had not turned up any incriminating evidence. Secondly, Anderson, whose sense of right and wrong usually coincided closely with his own, didn't seem to trust Harkin, and he knew enough of the Captain to trust his judgement. Lastly, he didn't like Udina and was against anything the man said; it was that simple.

Anderson had suggested that an information broker might be willing to give them some information, at a price of course, but it still seemed a better option than Udina's lead. The captain was a good man, but he was also practical. This investigation would go no where without information to go on. He had promised to get those responsible on behalf of Jenkins and his commander; if he had to, he would dip into his own personal funds, even if the Alliance wouldn't reimburse him.

He still didn't like the Captain being taken off the case. This was business, but it was personal for Anderson too. He shouldn't be taken off the case, but it was the only way to ensure that the Council would listen to them. It frustrated him to no end. Nonetheless, he had a job to do, and standing around the Council Chambers whining about how it wasn't fair wasn't getting anything done. In the end, all four of them rode the elevator down to the Proscenium before splitting ways.

Almost as soon as they were out of Udina's earshot, Williams spoke up, "I hate politicians." Ashley had been on Eden Prime as well and had joined up with him after her team was killed by Geth. She was the one that dragged him unconscious back to the Normandy; she was the one that was there to welcome him when he woke back up. She was the one that reassured him that he had done everything he could for his fallen comrades and that there was no way he could know that the Beacon would explode when activated. He owed her a lot.

"At this very moment, I agree with you," he answered, for a moment letting his emotions get the better of him. If they had been sent out sooner when the beacon had first been discovered, perhaps they would have been able to get it off the planet before the attack. Then again, this had all started with Spectres. Nihlus ran off on his own instead of being with the group; by being there, he could very well have stopped Jenkins and the Commander from dying. Then there was Saren, the rogue Spectre, who was directly responsible for the whole thing. Then the Council not wanting to step in simply because he was a Spectre. He had come to the conclusion that the whole Spectre idea was rotten, but that was probably just because he was stuck in an awkward situation and his head was starting to hurt. "Udina and the Council are just trying to do their job. Did you really expect them to believe two unknown Alliance marines over their best agent?"

"I still think that they're idiots," Williams said as she looked out across the water of the Proscenium. "I mean just look at this lake. I wonder how many people have fallen in and drowned."

Kaidan chuckled. "That isn't pessimistic at all there, Chief."

"What?" she said as if she had no idea that he was being sarcastic. "You can't tell me you didn't wonder yourself."

At this point, they had made it to Barla Von's office, and their conversation died. Barla Von turned out to be more helpful than he expected. Apparently, Fist had turned against the Shadow Broker to work for Saren, and the Shadow Broker was more than happy to give them just enough information so they could follow the thread. He did tell them that there was a krogan mercenary hired by the Broker to take care of Fist, and he was currently visiting the C-Sec academy.

He didn't like the idea of a krogan mercenary following them around and using them to take out a target, but he was the only lead they had, and they needed the extra fire power. For a moment, on the way to the C-Sec academy, he wondered how he could have fallen so far that he was willing to trade a man's life just to get the information that he needed, but he couldn't let the deaths of so many good men and women go to waste. This was one death he would just have to carry on his conscience.

The krogan they came to get was arguing with the officers that had arrested him. Specifically, he was addressing himself to a rather disgruntled human male, but there were several turian officers behind him to make sure he didn't cause too much trouble. He acted like being picked up was just a minor set back to his mission; he didn't seem to take any bit of it seriously.

When he had decided he was done (or too annoyed to continue) talking to the officers, he looked over to see them standing there. He didn't look surprised or worried by their presence, but he lumbered over to them nonetheless. He was very large and imposing, Kaidan noticed when he was too close to back down. He simply stood his ground and stared at the bulging mountain of a krogan.

"What do you want?" the krogan asked. He was far too close for human standards, and something about the way he held himself suggested that he knew this. It was either that, or it was simply the krogan way.

"Are you Urdnot Wrex?" Williams asked from behind his left shoulder and with a hint of an attitude. She was either unimpressed by the krogan's brand of intimidation, or she was very comfortable that she would have time to get away while the krogan killed him.

The krogan didn't seem too offended by her tone of voice. He simply turned his head to glare at her, but he did smile before saying, "It depends on whose asking."

"I'm Lieutenant Commander Kaidan Alenko with the Alliance," he said bringing the krogan's attention back to him, "and this is Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams. We heard that you were going after Fist." He knew that Williams had an issue with aliens, just from the observations that he had made since she had joined the team, and he didn't particularly want the two of them going to blows, and not just because he would be caught in the middle. As much as either of them hated to admit it, they needed the aggressive krogan if they were going to have any hope of storming Fist's club.

The krogan chuckled. "I didn't know that Fist had Alliance soldiers on his payroll. You should know that I will kill him, and if you get in my way, I will kill you too."

He could almost feel Williams tensing up beside him. "We were just hoping for a chance to talk with him. We're hoping that he has some proof of Saren's guilt," he said trying to assure the krogan that they didn't mean him any harm. It would turn worse for them if they were judged to be enemies, C-Sec academy or not.

For a moment, the krogan was silent, and Kaidan was starting to wonder what was going on inside his head. He didn't think that they were in any danger to be attacked; it was if the krogan was surprised by his answer. Then again, he had never even met a krogan before so he could always be wrong. "I'll be a pyjak's uncle; she was right," he muttered. "Look, kid, I don't know how you did it, but I like your style."

"Excuse me?" Williams pipped up. Clearly she was just as confused as he was. He had no idea who 'she' was or why the krogan seemed to warm up to them.

"You're working with Shepard; last time I knew she hated the Alliance," the Krogan said slapping him on the back in congratulations. "You did a good job getting her to help you with Saren."

"Shepard?" he chocked out in surprise. Shepard was a notorious assassin and mercenary at the very top of Alliance watch list; there were standing orders for any Alliance officers to capture her at almost any cost. This day just kept getting worse and worse. "Shepard is interested in Saren?"

Wrex chuckled. "Yeah. I guess he's been pissing off a lot of people recently."

"Do you know how to get in contact with her?" he asked. He wanted to get the information from Fist first, but orders were orders. He had no choice but to go after Shepard.

"Sure do," he said leading the two of them to the elevator towards the Wards. "She told me to have you two talk with Harkin if you made it to me first. Good thing I saw him when I went to poke Fist's security."

In the end, Wrex waited outside while they went into Chora's Den to have a conversation with Harkin. Since Fist already knew that he was coming, all they would have gotten was a fight. Kaidan knew that it was the only play they had, but he didn't like the idea of leaving their only lead alone. For all he knew, he could return to find the krogan gone and their only connection to Shepard disappeared right along with him, but he couldn't risk leaving Williams there... alone... with him. That had an even higher chance of disaster. This entire thing had his headache growing, and the music in the club didn't help at all.

Harkin turned out to be more of a pain than Kaidan had originally thought. The man had started by trying a sleazy line on Williams and then pushing his luck further by calling her 'princess'; Kaidan nearly had to physically keep her from hitting him. Williams' bad-cop routine ended by Harkin reminding them that they weren't in a church; his own good-cop routine resulted in a lecture about C-Sec having it out for the poor mistreated drunk and an irrelevant and improbable story that Anderson use to be a Spectre.

By the time they got the information they needed, Kaidan's headache had turned into a full-blown migraine. The photophobia hadn't set in thankfully, but he felt like all of his energy had been stolen from him. He was too tired to question the reliability of the information. He was too tired to argue with Williams about whether or not Harkin was speaking the truth about Anderson. He was too tired to realize that Harkin's table of choice was directly outside Fist's office. He was even too tired to refuse to help a reporter if they just happened on information that could help her.

Then he caught sight of one of the Citadel arms framed by the beautiful nebula. He couldn't help but going over to the railing for a better look, and he heard Williams come up beside him. Over his shoulder, he saw Wrex lean haphazardly against a pillar; he seemed okay with giving the two soldiers a moment alone. "Big place," he muttered to himself when he turned back to take in the view.

Williams just chuckled. "That your professional opinion, sir?" she teased, but when he looked over at her, he could tell that she was thinking the same thing.

"This isn't a station," he continued. "It's a city. There must be millions here; there can't be a way to track every one coming."

He saw her nod out of the corner of his eye. "This makes Jump Zero look like a port-o-john, and it's the largest deep space station the Alliance has."

"Jump Zero is big," he said from personal experience and allowed himself to delve into his memories of the station for a moment, "but this is a whole other scale. Look at the ward arms! How do they keep all that mass from flying apart?"

For a moment, the two of them fell silent, just staring at the beauty before them. "The Council represents more races than I thought," he continued. "No wonder they're so careful about new comers. They probably just want to keep everything running. It must be hard keeping all these cultures working together."

He heard her snort beside him. "Or maybe they just don't like humans," she muttered back. He was rather sure that she didn't mind if someone overheard her, and he quickly added a mental note to ask her about her issues with aliens. He wasn't ready to label her a xenophobic yet since there were plenty of humans that were still wary of aliens.

"Why not?" he asked back in a joking tone. "We've got oceans, beautiful women, this emotion called love. According to the old vids, we got everything they want." He was teasing her back, trying to get the conversation back on a light hearted note. To his surprise, it did more than he expected.

She chuckled beside him. "If you expect to get me into a tinfoil miniskirt and thigh high boots, I want dinner first, sir." He flipped his head over just in time to see her blush when she realized what she had said.

He just laughed, unsure about what to do with that sentiment. "That won't be enough, Chief. Besides, I can't see you in a skirt anyway." The last part was a lie; now that she had mentioned it, he couldn't get the image out of his head. It made it hard for him to think of her as just another soldier like he did before; now she had made her way to the 'woman' category as well. Not that he had any intention of acting on the information; the Alliance had strict rules against fraternization.

Her blush continued to color her cheeks when she stuttered out, "Damn straight you can't." She had her face turned away from him so he wasn't sure if his words had relieved her or not. He didn't want her to feel too embarrassed by her slip of the tongue; he had certainly made enough of those over the years.

"Are we going to move on or are the two of you going to play tourist all day?" Wrex called out from behind them where he was still leaning against a pillar. Either he had overheard their conversation and he was giving them a way out or he was simply getting impatient. Either way, Kaidan was thankful for the timely interruption.

"On our way," he responded as he pulled himself away from the balcony. Williams quickly fell into step beside him like nothing had happened, and even though the med-clinic wasn't that far away, he could almost swear that the incident had never happened by the time they made it there.

As an Alliance marine, he was trained to be ready for anything, and looking back, that was the only reason that he was able to pull out his weapon the second he saw a man with a gun threatening the doctor. He only had a moment to take in his surroundings, but he saw a human woman fitting Shepard's description and a well-armed turian crouched behind a divider where the thugs couldn't see them.

The thugs reacted quickly to their entrance, and the man with the gun on the medic spun her around to use her as a shield and placed the gun to her head. In a blink of an eye, Shepard (or the woman he assumed was Shepard) jumped up and put a hole in his head with her pistol; the turian with her grabbed the doctor and pulled her safely behind some cover. Before the turian could even stand back up and help, the four of them had finished off the rest of the thugs.

For a moment, Kaidan stopped to grab his breath and to down an energy drink from his pack. He and Shepard had to lift a crate so Williams and Wrex could get the man cowering behind it. While he took his breather, the turian stood up and faced Shepard as she upholstered her weapon.

"That was reckless, Shepard," he said, and even Kaidan could hear the anger in his voice. He couldn't tell if his expression reflected the tone since he didn't know the first thing about turian expressions. He could barely tell them apart let alone to read their expressions. "You could have hit the hostage."

She waved a dismissive hand at him. "But I didn't," she reasoned back as if she didn't care one bit as to what he thought of her or her methods. For a moment, Kaidan took the time to really take a look at her. She had obviously dyed her hair since it wasn't her well-known red color, and he could hardly see the green in her eyes around the red cybernetics in them. The deep, orange scars that gave her identity away, however, were easily seen on her face, and her tell-tell blue armor was exactly as described. Even with the scars and cybernetics, she was a looker. "You okay, Doctor?" she asked as she helped the cowering woman to her feet.

"Yes, I'll be fine," the doctor answered, but her voice and arms shook so Shepard passed her an energy bar from her pack and had her sit back down. The woman had a slight accent that he knew to be eastern European from growing up on Earth. It seemed being threatened and held at gunpoint had really shaken her up, and he felt sorry for the poor woman. He felt even more sorry that he was about to break the calm one last time, though he hoped that she wouldn't end up with any more bodies on her floor.

While Shepard was intent on helping the doctor, Kaidan met Williams' eyes from across the room. With a nod, the two of them drew their pistols and quickly trained them on Shepard. "The notorious assassin known as Shepard, you are hereby under arrest for crimes committed in the Human Systems Alliance."

Shepard's laugh sent shivers down his spine.


	3. Temporary Alliance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Detailed Premise: Shepard has left the Alliance years ago after the tragety at Akuze and is now working as a mercenary. Garrus decided to disobey his father's wishes and continue his Spectre training; he has since been accepted into the Spectres.
> 
> In Previous Chapters: Garrus Vakarian has met and is temporarily working with a renowned mercenary and assassin known as Shepard to verify if Saren is truly a threat. It is an uneasy alliance. Meanwhile, Kaidan and Ashley has joined up with their own mercenary, Urdnot Wrex, and has followed the path Shepard has prepared for them. After taking care of the threat to Doctor Michelle, they have tried to arrest her.

For a moment, Garrus stood there shocked. One moment, he was so angry at Shepard for taking unnecessary risks, and then the next moment the two Alliance marines he was suppose to be watching pulled their weapons out and tried to arrest her. This was probably the exact opposite of what the Council wanted. For a moment, he stood there frozen, shocked and unsure of what to do.

Then she laughed the most chilling, blood-curdling laugh he had heard from her yet. It sounded like something out of a horror movie. "You really think you can take me," she said making eye contact with the man in charge. "You just got winded from lifting a crate that I could have lifted by myself with a blink. Both of your shields are still recharging, and mine are at full strength. Who do you think is going to win this?"

He thought about stepping in, but he then he saw Shepard's hand flick. At first, he thought that she was preparing to use her biotics against the Alliance soldiers, but when she repeated the gesture and neither one of them were throw across the room, he quickly realized that she was trying to get him to back off. He could end this entire thing quickly enough by simply stepping forward and claiming Spectre authority to let her go.

Then again, if he did that, he would blow his cover, and they would end up knowing that the Council had assigned an agent to trail them. If he let them arrest her, he failed his mission, and if he used his authority to get her off, he would also fail his mission. His only play was to let her talk her way out of this; hell, if she could manipulate Saren's men into telling her whom they worked for, she might just get through this.

For a moment, the three humans just stood there staring at one another, each one of them trying to gauge who was the most likely to win and if it was worth the fight. Then he heard the sound of a shotgun activating, and he looked over at the krogan, whom had the barrel of his weapon pointed at the female Alliance soldier. His face was set in a grimace as if he wasn't sure that he wanted to take the road he was on, but underneath Garrus could tell that he wasn't going to back down.

Shepard must have seen or heard the krogan draw his gun because she said to him, "Never knew you cared so much, Wrex."

Wrex just grunted. "I owe you one. Thought I'd cash it in for you."

"What if I don't want to cash it in just this minute?" she whined almost as if she was a little girl who wasn't allowed a toy.

Wrex chuckled. "How about this. I don't have to pull this trigger, and you can keep your favor."

Shepard seemed to think about it for a minute then nodded her head. "I can accept those terms. So how about it you two: going to make me cash in the favor?" He could respect the fact that neither one of the Alliance soldiers blinked or looked nervous, though they did take a moment to look at each other. He could almost see them conferring on how they were going to handle the situation, all silently with looks alone; and if he see it, then Shepard could likely understand it since she was human and knew human expressions better than he did. But even after several minutes, no one had moved, and he feared that he would have to step in after all.

"How about this," she said still holding the man's gaze, "I'm just want Saren stopped. I help you get whatever information you need, and I'll come with you willingly."

"What about your turian friend?" the female soldier asked. She had turned her attentions away from Shepard and now had her weapon trained on the krogan, which was a smart move. He knew a little about Wrex; like just about anyone dangerous and outside the law, the Spectres had a file on him. He was a capable mercenary, and one of the last, true krogan warlords, which meant that he was also a biotic.

"He goes free as soon as we have the information," Shepard said quickly and without hesitation.

"I'm not sure I can agree with that," the male said slowly and deliberately. He seemed to be in pain of some sort, but there were no obvious physical injuries on him. He didn't seem to be against letting Shepard helping them now so he could arrest her later; she might be able to pull this around. He wasn't sure he liked the idea that she was going to turn herself in after they got the information, but it seemed like the only way out of this room with everyone still alive.

"Then the poor doctor will have another couple of corpses to add to the pile," she answered and allowed her biotics to flair along her arms, ready if she needed them. He really hoped that the Alliance male wouldn't make too big of an issue out of this. If it came down to a fight, the soldiers were completely overpowered. Shepard's abilities were well noted, and both she and Wrex had taken out entire Alliance units before by themselves. Just two marines would be a walk in the park for them.

"Fine," the man said after a moment or two of thought, "but you have better come along peacefully." He still didn't look entirely convinced that this was a good idea, and his female compatriot seemed to agree.

"I promise on my mother's grave," Shepard said with a smile, but Garrus couldn't see what was so amusing. A mother's death wasn't something that people referenced with a smile, and it caused him to be suspicious of her. But the humans seemed to accept her promise without hesitation.

Then the humans did the most curious custom that he had seen so far, they reached out their hands, clasped them together, and shook them. Though he usually wasn't posted in any human controlled system, he had seen human mercs do this on occasion, and he had always wondered what it meant. Now wasn't a good opportunity to ask, or course, but it would give him something to ask about later.

"Now that we've come to an accord," she said with a smirk of her lips. "How about you interview the lovely doctor here while I converse with my turian escort."

For a moment, he wasn't sure if the humans were going to let her, but after a moment or two, the male waved his hand as of to give her consent, as if she needed it. She didn't make a comment about it, though it looked like she wanted to; instead she walked over to the door and pulled up her omni-tool. Here he thought they were going to talk, but instead she was checking her mail.

Then his visor sent him a ping telling him that he got a message. How did she get my address? he thought but checked the message nonetheless. It was a question he could ask later, and sure enough the message was from her. He would need to upgrade his inscription protocol.

"Going with them is the best play here," the message read. He tagged the address before he sent her a reply; it might come in handy someday. At the very least, he could return the favor and crack it.

"Don't know if the Council will like it." He quickly looked over at the humans. The male was questioning the doctor finding out just what information had almost gotten her killed, but the female was looking at them obviously suspicious as to what they were doing or talking about. The krogan appeared bored, as seemed usual for krogan.

"The Council told you to help the investigation, and right now turning me over to the Alliance is the only way to keep the investigation on track. If they have a problem over the fact that I'm in custody, they can get me out themselves; that's why I made sure they would leave you be. You can give them the heads up before they ship me off to a prison somewhere."

He had to admit that her plan seemed sound, but he still didn't like it. Knowing his luck, the Council wouldn't see it that way and would blame the entire situation on him. He didn't really have time to think about it long though since the human male started walking over to them, and the other two followed along. Once again, he would have to trust Shepard's plan and hope that it didn't end too badly.

"So what information did you get?" Shepard asked as the human male approached. She had turned her attention to them completely and left him standing there forgotten. The humans didn't see to care about him at all, and the krogan looked bored with the entire thing. Here he was a Council Spectre, and nobody seemed to care. He had gotten so used to people being scared of him or hostile to him that he wasn't sure how he felt about being ignored completely. He wasn't sure if it was a blessing or a curse.

"A young quarian came through here with a gun wound. She said that she had information about Saren and the geth and that she was willing to trade it for sanctuary. Doctor Michel sent her to Fist who has since turned against the Shadow Broker and is probably planning on handing her over to Saren."

Shepard nodded her head. "That would explain your presence, Wrex. The Broker doesn't like when people turn against him, and he's rich enough to pay your fee."

Wrex chuckled. "I assumed that he hired you as well, Shepard, that is why I wouldn't tell you anything. If I had known you really were only interested in his information, I might have just accepted your help and gone in guns blazing."

She smiled. "No worries, Wrex. If you had, we wouldn't have met this lovely bunch of people, and I'd still be up shit's creek without a paddle."

That last one confused the hell out of him; so much so that he wasn't sure if his translator had even worked correctly. "A small river made of poop without an outdated proportion device for a boat?" he questioned, repeating what his translator had told him.

"Up a river without a paddle," the female marine repeated.

"Meaning I'd still be screwed since I don't have a ship to follow his ass," Shepard explained. "I doubt that he stayed on the Citadel after he heard the allegations against him and who was making them."

Though he still had difficulty understanding her precise wording, He got the gist of it. Either he was far too tired to be walking let alone firing a gun or he really needed to update his translator when it came to human languages. The fact that they are the only species with more than one probably enhanced his translator's issues, and knowing his luck, none of the three humans spoke the same language. "Why would you say that?" he asked merely out of curiosity.

Shepard looked at him for a second as if to see if there was a hidden meaning to his question before smiling and doing another of her dismissive waves. "It's what I would have done. He has to know we'll get some information to nail his ass with eventually."

Once again, her precise wording flew straight over his head, but he didn't have the time to ask her to clarify. "Can we just go about saving this quarian girl and getting the information we need?" the human male interrupted applying pressure to the bridge of his nose with two of his fingers.

"Forgive me, Lieutenant, if I'm in no particular rush to turn myself in," Shepard cut in with a bit of an attitude. "Besides, you really should get something for your headache."

The man removed his hand to glare at her. "I'm fine," he responded matching her tone.

"Bullshit," she responded instantly letting her biotics flare along her arms momentarily. He instantly thought that she was going to do something particularly stupid like attacking the very man that they had just come to a truce with, but it seemed she had only done it to prove her next point. "I know a biotic-induced headache when I see one. If you're going to shoot me in the back, I would much rather have it be on purpose. You're far more likely to kill me instead of simply maiming me that way."

Though he grumbled, the man did as she suggested, and his fellow soldier seemed surprised. "I didn't even realize that he had a headache," she muttered, eyes wide and following the passage of her companion. It wasn't a gaze that he could translate; he had no idea what it meant. It was certainly more than the normal camaraderie that came with being a soldier.

Shepard just stared after him as well and didn't seem to notice the female soldier's look. "He can hide it better than most," she said almost too quietly for anyone to hear. "I didn't even notice until he pinched his nose, and I've had more experience with the symptoms than most humans."

There seemed to be more going on here than either woman's words expressed, but it was beyond him as to what it was. He wondered if all humans spoke like this, leaving so much hanging on their words that they seemed layered with insinuations and unvoiced concerns or desires. He wondered if it was part of their culture or simply because they didn't have the hearing or vocal range as many other species.

As soon as the young man returned, introductions were quickly made. It certainly made it easier when he could refer to his new human companions by name instead of race and gender. The human woman was Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams, and the man was Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko. Out of the two of them, Chief Williams seemed to be a little more reserved than her superior, as if she had an issue with the decision he had made, but she didn't say anything out loud.

The assault on Chora's Den didn't go as badly as he thought it would. In fact, the team almost acted as if they had been fighting together for years. Shepard and Wrex went charging ahead, shotguns ripping men in half and bashing skulls in, effectively taking care of any close-range combatants. Williams and Alenko took care of most of the mid-range action, one with an assault rifle and the other with a pistol. Garrus hung back and snipped people the others had missed.

When they reached the door to Fist's office, they stopped and huddled together; that is to say that Shepard stopped them. Fist's office was too small for all five of them, she reasoned, so they would have to split up. Two or three go in; two or three stay out. She also suggested that the bulk go in since she was rather sure that 'their prey' would have some surprise waiting for them, and it was unlikely to be pleasant.

In short order, they quickly decided the separate teams. Wrex had to go in simply because he had been hired to kill the man, and he wasn't likely to get another chance at it. Alenko had to go in since he was the senior officer of the Alliance team sent to investigate. Everyone but Wrex seemed surprised when Shepard turned down the third position in the team and suggested Garrus take it instead.

"I would rather not kill a loyal employer or be party to his death," she answered when the soldiers asked for her reasoning, and she refused to budge from it even when pressed that she was already party to his death by helping them get this far. She just saved her hand dismissively at that point and said, "According to your rules, not mine."

Shepard's intel proved to be accurate. Fist's office was very small, but the real problem was a lack of cover. There wasn't really that many places to stay out of fire, and between Fist and the two miniature turrets, they really needed to stay out of fire. He crouched behind a small wall and ducked out just long enough to overload one of the turrets, and much to his surprise, he saw Alenko do the same thing. That only left Fist, and it only took a shot or two from Wrex's shotgun to bring down his shields and to throw him out of his hasty version of cover, his overturned desk.

Garrus put his sniper rifle back and pulled out his pistol, quickly pointing it at the crawling man's head. "Where's the quarian?" he demanded with a smirk. The rush of battle still had him in its grip, and Nyhlus had taught him that the more cocky and brash you appeared the more likely you would get the information that you needed.

Fist immediately put his hands up and tried to back away from the gun. "I don't know where she is," he said. His eyes were darting between his three attackers; eventually they fell on Lieutenant Alenko. Garrus wasn't sure if it was because he was the only human in the group or because he was the least intimidating and more sympathetic looking one.

"Let me kill him," Wrex said brandishing his shotgun and a smirk. "He's of no more use to you." The way he said it though Garrus knew that he was just trying to get the man to talk. When the appropriate time came, he was sure that he wouldn't say anything before he dispatched the man.

It didn't seem as if Fist heard the same thing, however, since he quickly made sure that he had something useful to offer. "I don't know where she is, but I know where she'll be." He had, at least, stopped trying to crawl away, but now he had his hands up as if to ward off gunfire, as if simply shielding himself with his hands would stop whatever custom ammo Wrex had in his shotgun.

"Then I would tell us," Alenko said with an almost lazy tone escaping his tight control. Garrus had to spare the man a look to make sure that those painkillers weren't putting him to sleep, but it was obvious to him that he didn't have anything to fear. It seemed the Alliance officer was actually fairly good at playing the good-cop; too bad none of them were actually cops.

For a moment, Fist's eyes seemed to get bigger, but he quickly followed Alenko's advice. "She wanted to trade some information about Saren and the geth for protection, but she would only deal if she met the Shadow Broker in person."

Wrex seemed to think that was funny from the short dismissive laugh this caused him to release. "No one meets the Shadow Broker," he explained, "not even Shepard." That suggested that Shepard could be an exception and that she'd been an exception before for someone else. That was interesting, and he planned on finding out the details later.

"That's why it'll be Saren's men there instead," Fist admitted and lowered his head, almost as if he was ashamed of his actions, but Garrus knew better. If he had to guess, Fist was just making a show so that they wouldn't kill him. He had heard enough of Fist's exploits to know that he wouldn't feel guilty at all about sacrificing an innocent if it gained him a credit. Luckily, Fist ran too small of an operation for him (or any other Spectre) to get involved; besides, he was usually agreeable when one needed something that requisitions didn't stock.

"You're letting her walk into an ambush?" Alenko exclaimed. It was obvious that the man hadn't spent much time on the Citadel or hadn't looked too closely into any dark corners. Fist wasn't the worst thing on the station, and this certainly wasn't the worst thing he'd seen. It was Nihlus' favorite training exercise, send the recruit alone without guns into the worst part of the station and see how long it took him to get himself out (or in enough trouble to qualify having to step in).

"I want to know where that meeting is," Garrus said making a show of tightening his grip on the trigger. In his experience, most people told him what he wanted to know when they thought he was about to kill them.

Fist was no different. "It's in the alley just around the corner by the elevator to the Proscenium," he said quickly and starting to stand up. "You'll need to hurry though; they should be meeting any moment." He obviously thought that the danger was passed due to his ability to tell the truth and how quickly they would need to get to the meeting; for being a crime lord, he wasn't really smart. Professionals like Wrex didn't back down simply because you gave them what they wanted.

So Garrus just turned to walk away, and he wasn't surprised that he heard a shotgun blast shortly thereafter. Between the modded rounds and the proximity, he wouldn't have been surprised if it had taken Fist's head off. The Alliance soldier didn't seem prepared for it though since he exclaimed, "What the?" when he heard the blast.

Out of the corner of his eyes, Garrus saw Wrex just shrug. "I was hired to kill him," he said nonchalantly. "I don't leave jobs half done." Though he appeared as nonchalant about it as possible, Garrus could see that he was ready should the soldier try to physically impress that killing the crime boss was wrong.

Garrus just kept walking. He had no doubt that the Alliance marine wasn't nearly stupid enough to think he could take the krogan mercenary by himself; besides, by the time he reached the door to the office, he could hear the sound of gun fire. An assault rifle and a sniper rifle were the closest, and he had an idea that they were likely to be Williams and Shepard. They were likely in trouble since he couldn't think of any other reason they would have to be firing their weapons. Subconsciously, he hurried up just a bit.

He came out of the warehouse to see Shepard and Williams at the end of the hall. Shepard behind one crate taking out enemies on one side with her sniper rifle; Williams behind another mowing down enemies coming from the other direction. He reached for his assault rifle until Shepard noticed him.

"Good, you're back. Assist Williams with your sniper rifle; I can hold out until Wrex gets here with a second assault rifle," she said, but he wanted to protest. He soon thought better of it though. Shepard had been in worse situations than this, and she had successfully gotten out of them. It was probably a good idea to listen to her.

Wrex was right behind him, but Alenko was taking a while to come out. Under Shepard's guidance, they were able to hold out against overwhelming numbers, but that wasn't the goal. They only had a few minutes to get to the quarian before she was lost to them forever. When Shepard ducked back under cover to give her rifle some time to cool down, he looked at her. "We can't just stay here, Shepard. The quarian is meeting with Saren's men in a few minutes; we need to get there before they take her."

For a moment, she looked at him with a blank stare. "You're shitting me, right?" she asked but seemed to read from his expression that he wasn't. "Or course, you're not; you're one of the honorable ones." Then she bit her lower lip, and her eyes went wide and started moving side to side rapidly, about as fast as a machine could. She stayed like that for a couple of moments until Alenko came jogging up to the group.

"Where've you been, LT?" Williams asked impatiently. "We could have used your help sooner."

"I wanted to take a look around Fist's office just in case he was hiding something from us," he responded but couldn't quite hide the shape of the OSDs in his hand. He quickly pulled out his pistol to help the group were he could and allowed his biotic to wave across his body as he primed them for attack.

"Save your amp, Lieutenant," Shepard ordered before he could finish though. "We're going to need it at full strength to get out of here on time."

"Guess you came up with a plan then," Garrus said coming up from behind the crate to put a bullet in a thug's head.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Shepard nod. "Wrex and I will carve a path through with our biotics and shotguns. You and Williams will be at the back with your assault rifles keeping anyone from flanking us. Alenko, you'll be in the middle boosting shield, barriers, and modding ammo if you can. If we stay bunched up correctly, we should be able to push right through these guys and get to the kid in time." Once again, it was a rather solid plan; he couldn't think of any immediate holes in it or any other ideas. Guess he would just have to let Shepard call the shots and hope for the best once again. "We go on three."

Shepard's plan went better than he had dared to hope. Within a minute, she and Wrex had successfully punched through the enemy's defenses and send then flying, bleeding, and running out of their way. Even hardened criminals paused at a krogan charge, and that didn't even take into account the fact that Shepard was charging right beside him. The rest of the group nearly had to run to keep up, which was more difficult than it sounded, especially for Williams and himself since they had to do it backwards to continue to cover the flank.

As soon as they got to the door, Shepard turned and locked it behind them to keep the enemies from interfering again, and then came the sprint for the alley. Much to his surprise, Shepard quickly made up the ground she had lost to lock the door behind her and was well in the lead by the time they saw the quarian. This was surprising since the two alliance soldiers had issues even keeping up, and he didn't blame them. Humans didn't have the long legs of the turians or the powerful muscles of the krogan, and that was what surprised him the most about Shepard's running ability. It was unnatural.

Just as the quarian woman came into view, a turian agent sent by Saren came up to her and ran his hand down her side as if he was trying to find something. It was so wildly inappropriate that it made him wonder what kind of people Saren hired. Obviously, the quarian was thinking almost the same thing since she slapped his hand away and started to back away. Naive or not, she at least had enough common sense to know when a deal should be called off.

The turian, of course, didn't like it one bit, and seconds later, two armored salarians stepped out from behind a crate. "Shepard," Garrus shouted the best he could even though he was short of breath, "this isn't going well."

"I know," she shouted back, clipped as if she was angry or frustrated, and he made a mental note that stating the obvious in high-stress situations made her angry.

About a second later, the quarian threw something at the salarians and dove out of the way, and almost as if it was instinct, Shepard reached out with a biotic aura, pulled the quarian towards her, and maneuvered the both of them behind some boxes for cover. As she tried to calm the quarian down and to make sure she was okay, the rest of them focused their fire on the enemies and soon put them down.

"I'm okay," he heard the quarian say when it was all over and he was able to come back to see how she and Shepard were doing. "But who are you?" It was obvious to him that she wasn't as scared as he thought that she would be; perhaps Shepard was better at the consoling thing than he gave her credit for. She did seem very cautious as to why they had rescued her, which was understandable considering the circumstances, but her gratitude was also evident.

"Me?" Shepard asked innocently, which was how he knew that this wasn't going to end well. "Oh, I'm the mercenary and assassin known as Shepard. Perhaps you've heard of me?"

"Oh, Keelah, help me," he heard the poor girl mutter. Though he couldn't see her face through her visor, he could tell that she was scared out of her wits; apparently, Shepard had even been heard of on the quarian Flotilla. He had no idea why Shepard was scaring the girl. Maybe he was wrong, and she wasn't after Saren at all. Perhaps he had hired her to kill this girl. He quickly dismissed the thought though. Saren wasn't wasteful with his men, and it was completely unlike him to send two sets of assassins knowing that Shepard would end up killing them.

"Don't worry," Shepard said with what was probably supposed to be a reassuring grin but ended up for like a ruthless smirk. "I'm not here for you."

"Then what are you doing here?" she asked, but her voice was shaking from fear and uncertainty. He wanted to step forward and reassure her, but he couldn't afford to blow his cover. Not yet, anyway. Luckily for him, Alenko stepped forward.

"She's helping the Alliance with an investigation into Saren," he said all seriousness and business. He didn't smile; he didn't try to reassure her, and Garrus almost wanted to hit him for leaving the girl on the hook like that. "I'm Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko, and this is Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams. We heard that you might have some evidence that he's been working with the geth."

The girl looked at him slowly as if she just noticed him. For several moments, she didn't say anything and just stared at him, and though he couldn't see her face, Garrus was rather sure that she was trying to determine if he was lying or not. "I do," she finally acknowledged. "But not here; it isn't safe."

"We should get back to the embassy," Williams pipped up. "The ambassador will want to see the proof anyway, and we'll be able to arrange transportation for Shepard." Garrus had to admit that the plan had merits, and it would give him a chance to inform the Council want was going on and see if they wanted him to break Shepard out.

"Good idea, Chief," Alenko said before turning to Shepard. "Don't forget your promise. You said that you would come willingly and quietly." His expression said he expected her to go back on her word, and his hand hovering over his pistol said what he planned to do if she did.

"Yep," Shepard said moving her hands away from her weapons in a gesture of peace. "I never go back on promises made on my mother's grave." Back was the mysterious smile that had him so confused when she had originally made the promise. He still couldn't figure out what it meant. She turned to him quickly and held out her hand to shake; it was the same strange human custom that he had seen her do with Alenko earlier. So he reached for it, but to his surprise, when he brought his hand back, he found a small slip of paper. Since Shepard had taken the trouble to conceal the message, he tried his best to keep his surprise from his expression.

"It was a pleasure," he said as a way of goodbye. It was almost a pleasure; at least, he could brag that he had met her and hadn't died. Not many people could say that, but most of it had just been utterly confusing or downright dangerous. He really hoped that the Council wouldn't have him break her out of Alliance custody.


	4. Politicians

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Detailed Premise: Shepard has left the Alliance years ago after the tragety at Akuze and is now working as a mercenary. Garrus decided to disobey his father's wishes and continue his Spectre training; he has since been accepted into the Spectres.
> 
> In Previous Chapters: Kaidan Alenko ironed out the details of the temporary alliance with Shepard, and everyone completed the attack on Cora's Den. With everyone working together, they were able to make it to save their only lead on Saren, a young Quarian named Tali'Zorah nar Rayya. They have decided to take her and Shepard back to Udina's office while Garrus and Wrex go their own ways.

Much to Kaidan's surprise, Shepard didn't just come along willingly but almost gladly, which almost worried him more than if she had tried to run. Someone like her always had a plan and never gave up, and if she was willingly walking into a death sentence, then she certainly had a plan to get out of it. The entire way to the Embassies he was on edge with his hand floating near his pistol the whole time, but nothing happened. It was either too quiet, or he was getting paranoid, or both.

He almost sighed in relief when they stepped into Udina's office, but Udina and Anderson didn't look pleased. They looked at the quarian with annoyance and Shepard with surprise. Anderson's exact expression also looked extremely grim; he, of course, knew exactly who she was. Udina didn't seem to know for sure, but he did notice that she was in full armor, without a weapon, and in biotic restraint handcuffs.

"Just what have you been up to, Lieutenant?" the politician asked with a sneer in his voice. "Firefights in the Wards, an all out assault on Chora's Den, and now you bring back some woman in shackles."

"That is the illusive assassin known as Shepard, Ambassador," Captain Anderson said as his hand fluttered to the small of his back, where he likely had a pistol hidden. His expression was hard for Kaidan to read. There was surprise and fear, but it didn't seemed to be focused at Shepard specifically. It was almost as if he was afraid because she was caught.

"It is standing orders to bring her in whatever the cost, Ambassador," Williams answered, her voice starting to waver from anger, but she held it mostly in check. "We follow our duty." Her words before about hating politicians resounded in his head, and for a moment, he wondered just how far that hatred extended. Right this moment, he had no reason to worry since she kept her cool, but he worried.

The news of who she was didn't seem to make the ambassador any happier; in fact, it may have simply made him angrier. "Well, isn't this just peachy," he muttered. "Almost every species in galactic space wants her head on a platter, and the Council won't like that we are keeping her for ourselves. Do you have any idea what kind of political blowback this can cause?"

He was about to tell Udina to shove it, and he didn't really care about the political blowback. But Shepard spoke before he had the chance. "You must be Ambassador Udina," she said with an eerie smile. "If you want to keep your position and life for a while, I suggest stop being so worried about possible political fallout and more worried about those you represent. I was just about to accept a contract to kill you when this Saren business got in the way."

The silence in the room was deafening. "Perhaps turning her over to the Council wouldn't be the best idea after all, huh, Ambassador," Anderson said with a smirk. Suddenly, he didn't seem as scared as before; it was almost as if the thought of Shepard being taken by the Council was exactly what he had been afraid of. Shepard's face seemed written in stone though, as if she couldn't care one way or another. He did get an impression that this wasn't the response that she was hoping for, but he couldn't have said why he thought this. He was probably just imagining things, but he could have sworn that her scars got a little deeper and her eyes redder. He realized that scars didn't heal or get worse quick enough for the human eye to notice the difference in a matter of seconds.

"Perhaps, you are right in this case, Anderson," Udina said quietly as if he was afraid to admit it. He didn't seem that afraid of what Shepard had been contacted to kill him, which was weird. She could have very well taken the contract and had gotten captured just so she would have the opportunity to take him out; and if she was telling the truth about not taking the job, then that still left someone out there with enough hatred and money to hire someone else. "Williams, make sure Shepard here is ready for transportation back to Alliance space as soon as arrangements can be made."

Williams turned to look at him, and Kaidan just shrugged so she turned to look at Anderson only to get the same response. "Very well," she said in a clipped tone that said in no uncertain terms that she wasn't happy with that order, or just the man who had given it. Nonetheless, she saluted and escorted Shepard out of the room.

As Shepard walked away, he had a bad premonition wash over him, and he wanted to stop the both of them. One marine, even one as capable as Williams, couldn't hold Shepard if she wished to be free, and he had the worst feeling that this wasn't going to end well. The worst part was that there was nothing that he could do.

"Now," Udina said as the door closed on Williams and Shepard, "what can we do for you, Miss..."

"It's Tali, Tali'Zorah vas Neemah," the quarian said, her body language showing more confidence than he had expected from the shy young woman. He would have allowed himself to think more on the slight wisp of a girl if he wasn't so worried about his teammate.

*****

"You allowed her to be taken into custody by the Alliance?" the turian councilor asked/demanded. He didn't sound happy. In fact, his sub harmonics seemed to say that he had crossed far past unhappy; he was furious.

"You wanted me to keep an eye on Shepard and the Alliance soldiers at the same time without letting them know who I was," Garrus answered neutrally and without any emotion. If he allowed his hot-temper to rival the Councilor's, he would never get another assignment ever again. "In order to do that, I had to get them together, but I couldn't step in when the Alliance officers invariably tried to arrest her. If you would rather have her out of Alliance custody, all I have to do is to tell them who I am, and I'm sure that they would be more than willing to release her."

"I'm afraid that is no longer an option," the asari councilor said as she, at least, had the decency to look apologetic. "Shepard is a high level assassin, and she has bested every agent we have ever sent after her directly."

"It is obvious that you don't have the skills to keep Shepard in line," the turian councilor stated with a sneer. "So we are doing what we should have done in the first place and sent someone who can."

"Please understand, Agent Vakarian, that we are doing this to protect you as much as to protect the galaxy," the salarian councilor said in a tone that was nearly pleading. "We have no doubt that if she was to decide that you are getting in her way that she would eliminate you."

He could see their reasoning, and having fought beside her, he knew that, if it ever came to it, she would kill him without issue, even more so if it came as a surprise. Nonetheless, he was furious that they were just going to take his mission away from him. If this was what they really thought, why would they have risked sending him in the first place? This thought bugged him almost more than anything so he decided to ask. Making them angry really didn't matter any more; they were going to take him off the mission either way.

"If you truly believed that, then why send me in the first place?" For a moment, the Council hesitated, the entire Council. That was rare enough in it's own right to prove his suspicions; there was something going on here.

"There was no one else we could send," the asari councilor finally said, her voice tinged in anger. "Make sure to get some rest, Agent Vakarian. We should have another mission for you."

He knew when he was being dismissed, and as bad of a turian that he was, he knew better than to press his luck now. Reluctantly, he withdrew from the Council Chambers and made his way back to his apartment. He hoped, now that this mission was complete, that he would be able to get some sleep finally. When he walked into his front door though, he quickly realized that he was still far too angry. He quickly threw his armor into the cleaner and made his way to the small gym that he had made in the spare bedroom. He really hoped that he would only have to go a couple of rounds with the heavy bag.

*****

Ashley didn't like this one bit. First, the very idea of making a deal with a mercenary and an assassin made her skin crawl, but the lieutenant had made the only choice that he could at the time. She was just glad that she didn't have to make the call. Secondly, she didn't like the idea of taking Shepard back to Alliance space for prosecution. The woman had killed more aliens than humans, and it seemed stupid to risk what little diplomatic power they had on someone like her. Lastly, she really didn't like keeping Shepard on the Normandy. This was the most advanced ship in the Alliance navy, and Shepard was more than capable of finding those secrets out while on board, handcuffed or not. Then again, it was the only Alliance ship currently in the area; more likely than not, they would have to leave very quickly after presenting the evidence against Saren to keep them from finding out about Shepard.

Much to her luck, Shepard hadn't made a move since they had arrived. They were in the hold, and Shepard was handcuffed to a railing. Ashley was keeping her eye and assault rifle on the woman; she wasn't about to take chances. If she decided to try anything, she wanted to make sure to put a few holes in the woman before she died.

"You do know that your gun doesn't intimidate me at all, right," Shepard said from where she sat with her arms hanging from their restraints. For all intensive purposes, Ashley had thought she was asleep. Good to know that her paranoia was correct for once.

"I didn't think that it did," Ashley responded with an almost lazy tone to her voice. She didn't want to give this woman too much insight into her thought processes; she was deadly enough as it was.

Shepard chuckled. "And yet, you still keep it trained on me." She was obviously mocking her, and it was starting to get on her nerves.

"I'm not stupid, Shepard," Ashley responded with a touch of anger. "If you wanted free, I wouldn't last long, but I would put a few holes in you before I was done."

To her surprise, Shepard didn't mock her words. She just opened her eyes (the first time since they had came aboard), looked right at her with what looked like respect, and smiled. "You, Gunnery Chief Williams, are a rare and astute woman. It is really a shame that you aren't a member of the Alliance Special Forces; I think that you would go far."

At first, Ashley was honored by her assessment; then she realized that it must have been a ploy to gain her trust or something of the sort. Shepard must have seen her thoughts since she laughed once again. "Your paranoia will serve you well, Gunnery Chief."

"Hey, Williams," Joker's voice cut through the scything remark that she had been about to make.

"What's up, Joker?" she asked instead, knowing that the intercom would pick up her voice.

"Pressly needs you to bring Shepard up here," he said matter-of-factly, as if there was nothing unusual about the request. "A couple of Spectres are here to pick her up."

"What?" she exclaimed, thoroughly surprised. It was obvious now that they had underestimated Shepard, and she had always planned on getting captured. Ashley couldn't think of any other reason for anyone to come looking for Shepard so soon. For this reason alone, she was sure that Shepard arranged it. Just to make sure, she glanced over at Shepard, but she seemed just as surprised and unhappy. Perhaps Shepard wasn't behind this after all.

"I know," Joker drawled. "I wasn't expecting it either, but their credentials check out. There's nothing we can do."

"I can think of a couple things," she said under her breath, but Joker didn't respond. He either didn't hear or knew better than to ask. None of her thoughts were really options at all. She couldn't strong-arm a couple of Spectres, and they couldn't take off without the captain and lieutenant onboard.

With a sigh, she crossed over to Shepard and unshackled her from the railing. "I don't know how you manage to get a couple of Spectres to come get you," Ashley said as she clicked the shackles off, "but you will pay for your crimes eventually." She did her best to be as intimidating as possible, but she knew that she likely failed. A woman like Shepard didn't intimidate easily.

"I assure you," Shepard said standing up and rubbing her wrists, "that I know about as much about why two Spectres have come to fetch me as you do, Gunnery Chief." Ashley almost believed her from the angry look on her face, but she didn't. There was no way that Shepard was really going to let them take her back and put her on trial.

*****

All Kaidan knew as he stepped into the Council Chambers once again was that he really hoped that they believed him this time and he missed Williams' presence. For some reason, it just felt weird going into this without her white and pick armor in the corner of his gaze, and he knew that was weird. He had Captain Anderson and the quarian, Tali, with him, and he was rather sure that Saren wasn't stupid enough to have them attacked while on the Proscenium. Nonetheless, it still felt weird not having Williams with him.

Once again, he was running late for the meeting, and they had started without him. The first time, he had just waved it off as him being new to the Citadel and getting lost; this time though, he didn't have that excuse. He suspected that Udina had purposefully told him the wrong time, but he couldn't think of a valid reason why the ambassador would want to do such a thing. It didn't stop him from thinking it anyway.

This time around the Council actually listen, not like they had much of a choice about it with the evidence that they brought. The turian councilor almost sounded apologetic when he said that Saren would be relieved of his Spectre status, and they would do everything they could do to bring him to justice. That last part worried him. He wanted Saren brought in, of course, but he wanted to be part of the crew that did it.

The council didn't agree that they were the best team to go after him and his asari matriarch cohort. They promised that they were going to send an agent after him, but everyone was upset with their decision, especially him. The longer this thing dragged on, the more people seemed to think that he was just being crazy with the Reaper nonsense, and it was starting to wear on him.

Anderson believed him, but even Anderson couldn't force the Council to let him go after Saren. In the end, the walk to the ship was awkward and quiet between him and Captain Anderson, and the entire time the images from the beacon pounded in his head. He wasn't sure if he could do this; he wasn't sure if he could handle the information of the beacon and the complications from his L2 implants. And he had thought his migraines from before were bad.

Then they got to the ship and found out that Shepard had been taken away by two Spectres while they were in the meeting with the Council. He couldn't vocalize the frustration that he was feeling so he ended up punching the wall, and somehow the immense pain in his hand relieved some of the pain in his head

Anderson, Williams, and Joker didn't look at all relieved; they looked completely horrified in fact. Anderson quickly sent him down to Doctor Chakwas who seemed to dress his hand slower than a snail and asked awkward questions about his mental state. In the end, he deflected with the excuse that his L2 headaches were back, but he knew in his heart that he wouldn't be able to do this forever. He just prayed that he would be able to hold on until they caught Saren, and he was hell-bent on catching Saren, no matter what the Council said about it.

*****

None of them were surprised to see Shepard lounging in a chair with her feet hanging over an armrest. That was the same position she had ever been in when she had met with them, though this time they were expecting her. They were however surprised to see her out of her armor and without a gun. "Sending Jondum Bau and Tela Vasir was a bold decision," she said almost nonchalantly. "I thought I was very clear that I would only work with two Spectres, and since Nylus is no longer an option, you pulled a stupid move taking Garrus Vakarian off the case."

This was precisely why Sparatus, the turian councilor, hated talking with her. When everyone else in the galaxy sputtered and was deferent to him and the other councilors, she was borderline threatening, even the argumentative human ambassador, Udina, wasn't as bad. "We all know that your skill vastly outweighs those of Agent Vakarian," he answered her allowing an echo of her threatening tone into his.

She rolled her eyes. It was a gesture that she did often, and he had come to learn meant she was dismissing his comment and about to come back with a scything remark. "With Nylus dead and Saren defected, you have no agents that can match my skills," she reasoned, and he knew that she was saying the truth. "You may as well send someone with me that I'm not threatened by at all. At least, I wouldn't have to kill Vakarian to get away if I had to." He wondered if his fellow councilor's hearts dropped at her last sentence like his did.

"We didn't bring you here to hear your estimations of our agents," Valern answered her. He seemed unfazed by Shepard's comment, but Sparatus had known the salarian long enough to know that he had been as bother by Shepard's comment as the rest of them. He was just hiding the short emotional response that it had generated. "It seems that your warnings about Saren have proved correct."

She let out a short noise from her nose, and it was another expression that he has seen her do and learned what it meant. She was thinking they were all idiots. "One would think that the number of times I had warned you correctly about your agents would have earned me the benefit of the doubt, but it's good to finally have you see reason."

"Shepard, you must understand," Tevos said in her most calming tone. She was the only one out of the three of them that Shepard seems to carry a little bit of respect towards. She could usually calm Shepard down. "You are not an agent of this council, and your loyalty is known only to exist to your next paycheck. We have to take your words with a high degree of caution."

For the first time, she didn't seem to react negatively to this statement; in fact, she moved to sit properly in her chair, which caused Sparatus and the other councilors to be rather concerned. None of them had ever seen her do that. "I have never lied to you," she said, but it wasn't in a dismissive or combative tone. She said it almost as if she was pleading with them. "I have always stuck to my end of our deal, and I have even gone out of my way to keep you informed when I operate in you section of the galaxy sometimes resulting in negative impacts on my mission. I think you need to look beyond the surface and see the truth." Even he had to admit that she made a reasonable argument.

Too bad that he didn't believe it for a moment. "You cannot tell me that you didn't make the deal or abide it for anything other than it benefits you."

She rolled her eyes; it was another dismissive habit. "And you didn't agree to it for anything other than it benefited you. Don't condemn me when you do the same thing."

"We have the best interests of the galaxy in mind, not just our bank accounts," he quickly responded to her.

"So says the turian councilor with a mistress," she fired back, her tone starting to sound angry and leveling her eyes at him. For several moments, they stayed like that, locked in a struggle of wills.

Until Tevos interrupted. "Despite our reservations about your morality, Shepard," she said, but it didn't break the woman's gaze from his own, "we find that you are the only one capable of tracking him down, and we were wondering your price."

Her gaze was still locked with his when he voiced his concern. "The last time we approached you your demands were rather obsessive," he noted to her. That meeting with her had gone far worse than this one; it went so poorly that they had called in guards. Luckily, it seemed as if Shepard had been feeling merciful that day and merely knocked them out instead of killing them.

"The last time, I was already on another mission when you contacted me," she answered, "which I told you before I made my demand. Your price had to be higher than theirs to make it worthy of delaying. This time, however, I have no prior commitments so I'll make my demands light."

Though he liked the idea of her giving them a discount, he didn't like that she had offered so quickly and easily. Whatever she was about to ask in return was going to be one hell of a favor. "Why would you want to do such a thing?" he quickly asked.

She leveled her gaze at him again. "I have personal reasons to go after Saren so I'm going after him no matter what you want. Might as well tack that into account."

"If you were planning to go after him any way, then I don't see why we should pay you at all," Valern reasoned.

Shepard looked at him. "Makes sense, but I will need your help to get what I need to track him down."

He knew that her agreeing to take care of Saren for free was too good to be true. He shared a look with his fellow councilors that showed that they shared his concerns. "That will depend on our demands," Tevos answered diplomatically.

"I need a Spectre, specifically Garrus Vakarian. That's demand number one," she said standing up to stretch her muscles. They all knew that the conversation was nearly over; generally after they started negotiating, they either reached an agreement quickly or the guards were called. Either way, Shepard was use to making a quick exit. "Saren is known to have various holdings that allow him to fund most of his lifestyle. During the course of my hunt, I may have to step on a couple business' toes, and having the authority of a Spectre behind me would make this easier."

"Agent Vakarian just returned from a difficult mission. He will need some time to prepare," Sparatus told her. He still felt guilty for waking him up to trail Shepard earlier, and it was one of the factors that had caused him to influence his fellow councilors to send Vasir and Bau instead. Vakarian, though still very young and inexperienced, was going to be a good agent if they didn't burn him out early.

She waved her hand again in dismissal. "I'll need time to get a couple of things prepared myself. I don't think I'll be wanting to leave for a day, at least, and I'm sure my second demand will take some time to arrange as well."

He looked to his fellow councilors and found that they were already waiting on his vote. They had worked together for years, and though they did on many things, they had an unspoken agreement that they would each manage their own Spectres. It helped them track the well being of their agents. "We agree to your first condition."

"Good," she said with a smile. "I promise to do everything in my power to make sure he comes back to you unharmed." For some reason, he was pleasantly surprised at and strangely reassured by her promise.

"Demand two," she said becoming deathly serious again. "I need you to contact the Alliance about borrowing the Normandy. Saren is very cautious, and he has likely prepared in case his plans backfired. Not to mention that he has gotten the geth on his side, and I foresee the stealth drive particularly being very useful."

Once again, he turned to look at his fellow councilors. This demand was very difficult. They had successfully asked the Alliance to send the Normandy Eden Prime, but that was only because they were sending it to pick up a Prothean artifact that they had found and they understood why secrecy was important. "That may be difficult."

She leveled them with a look that clearly said that they were being absolute idiots. "Just tell them that you need to borrow it to send a Spectre after Saren. You tell them and Vakarian that he's in charge, and that I'm just along for the ride in an advisor's position as some sort of parole deal or something. You send the message through to Admiral Hackett, and I can almost guarantee that you'll get the ship. You be humble and use your best diplomacy words and nearly begging tone of voice, and there shouldn't be a problem."

"We will try, but we cannot guarantee our success," Tevos offered her.

"As long as you try," Shepard conceded, but she didn't seem worried about it. She did however looked worried about her next demand; she stretched out one of her shoulders before speaking again. It was a tell that she didn't do often, and she seemed as if she hid it well when she wanted to. When he did see it though, he knew he was in for a big one. "I'm afraid that my last demand is nonnegotiable," she said looking him directly in the eyes, and he could feel his dread skyrocketing. "I will not be bringing Saren in alive for prosecution. I will end him once I find him, and I want his head as trophy and warning for those that threaten me and mine."

He closed his eyes just to stop the rush of emotions that her last demand caused. He was angry that she wouldn't even try to bring him in and that she wanted to defile his body. He was incredulous that she would even ask, but mostly he was just sad, sad because he was thinking of accepting simply because they had to catch Saren, but mostly sad because no matter what they decided to do, he knew that she would do it anyway.

He was still trying to get his emotions under control when he felt Tevos place her hand on his arm reassuringly, and he took a moment to look at her. He could tell by the look in her eyes that they had already decided to let him make this call. This was one of his people after all, and he was the one that would have to answer to the Meritocracy for whatever choice was made. Even Valern looked sorry for him. He was thankful for their unconditional support.

He really hoped that he wasn't about to make the worse mistake of his life, but he knew that, no matter what he chose to do, his decision would haunt him for the rest of his life. "We accept all of your terms, Shepard," he said turning back to her with the full force of his displeasure in his voice. "Make it worth it."

Shepard just nodded and left.

"I'll contact the Alliance," Tevos assured him finally removing her hand from his arm. "You go home and get some rest."

He left, but he didn't head home. If he had any hope of sleeping tonight, he was need to relieve the tension his decision had left him with, and there was only one way he could do that as the turian councilor.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Detailed Premise: Shepard has left the Alliance years ago after the tragety at Akuze and is now working as a mercenary. Garrus decided to disobey his father's wishes and continue his Spectre training; he has since been accepted into the Spectres.
> 
> In Previous Chapters: The Council has accepted the evidence against Saren and taken his Spectre status, but they did not agree that the Normandy's crew were the correct agents to bring him in. Kaidan returns to the Normandy defeat only to find that the Council has taken Shepard from him as well. Garrus Vakarian is taken off the case as well and put on a couple days rest. Meanwhile, Shepard is negotiating with the Council her contract to take care of Saren.

Garrus was still laying into the punching bag hours later, and though he was starting to get tired, his anger hadn't subsided yet. He was starting to think that it never would. It had been his mentor that had been killed; it had been his friend. Maybe he couldn't hope to take down Saren or stop Shepard with his skills, but he deserved the right to try. He was a Spectre after all. He obviously had skills that were beyond those of an average soldier.

"You really need someone to hold that bag if you want your workout to be beneficial," he heard a voice say behind him. He swung around wishing that he hadn't left his pistol in the locker in the living room, but he had never expected anyone to sneak into his apartment without his alarm system alerting him, not even Shepard.

She was just standing there in the same outfit that she had worn in Chora's Den. She had her arms crossed, and she was leaning against the doorjamb. She didn't seem to be worried that she had broken into his home and snuck up on him. In fact, she just stared at him almost as if she was sad to interrupt him.

"What are you doing here?" he said in his most threatening way, trying his best to ignore just how deep the sadness in her eyes seemed to extend. He kept his guard up just in case she tried to attack him.

She just sighed. "I wanted to be the first to let you know what's going on," she said still leaning against the doorway. "I was able to convince the Council that I'm going to need you to help me catch Saren. I thought that it would give you a bit of peace."

For a moment, he considered lowering his hands, but he didn't. "Why would the Council allow me back on the case? And why the hell would they hire you to go after Saren?" He didn't think that angry covered the entire scope of his feelings anymore. They had shoved him off the case and had hired a ruthless assassin/mercenary to do it instead. He supposed that it made sense; they wouldn't have to risk any of their own agents but why send him if that was their goal.

Shepard finally moved away from the doorway, and though her facial expression didn't seem to shift to anything aggressive, he did notice that she had loosened her stance to be able to defend herself if she had to. "They let you back on the case because you're the only Spectre I feel comfortable working with, and they let me take on Saren because I'm the only person still alive that has gone up against him directly and won."

He was about to ask something again, but she held her hand up to stop him. Not that it would have worked if she hadn't started talking at the same time. "Let me tell you how this works," she said, her eyes and tone going hard. "I don't have to answer your questions. You will be in charge of the mission to go after Saren, and I will be acting merely in an advisor's position. After this is over, I will disappear back into the galaxy."

He knew that he had started to anger her and that he should back down, but that was the reasonable side of his brain. And he didn't particularly want to listen to it right now. "Like hell you're not going to answer my questions!" he exclaimed, the anger boiling in him. "You are a wanted fugitive by every government in Council space and even by the Council itself. Why would they think about hiring you to track down Saren? That's why they have Spectres!"

He had certainly pissed her off now. Her eyes had shrunk to narrow slits, and they were pointed directly at him. "What part of 'I don't answer your questions' did you not understand, Vakarian?" she asked with a human tone that meant anger. He had faced enough human mercenaries to know it, but he was surprised by what else he heard. It was distant, quiet, barely there, but he could have sworn that he heard a rumble coming from her, a rumble that was faintly like one his own species would. That is if one cocked their head to the side and tried to listen through earmuffs.

It nearly threw him for a loop, but he couldn't afford to let it distract him. He was going to get an answer from this woman if he had to claw it out. "I ASKED WHY THEY WOULD ARGEE TO LET YOU TRACK DOWN SAREN?" He was using his best intimidating stance and had released all of his frustration into his tone.

Still Shepard didn't back down, not that he was surprised. Instead, she pulled her own best intimidating stare and focused it, razor sharp on him. "Since your translator seems to be damaged, I'm going to say this one last time. I do not have to answer your questions."

This time he was too shocked to do anything other than blink. She had just spoken Turian, fluently. Yes, her inflection was a little off and her accent wasn't quite right, but if he hadn't been looking at her, he would have mistaken her for one of his own people. That was how good she had spoken her response.

He was still mostly in shock when Shepard lunged at him, a fist flying awkwardly towards the general area of his face, and despite the fact his brain still hadn't quite caught up with the fact that she knew Turian, his body quickly dodged and deflected the punch to go elsewhere. For the next half hour, they fought, trading blows that didn't connect, and he quickly felt his body shutting down from exertion and lack of sleep. Finally, he collapsed on the floor and just waited for Shepard to finish him off; there was nothing else he could do. He couldn't even lift his arms.

But Shepard didn't strike. She just leaned up against the nearest wall and tried to suck in the air her body was demanding. "Your hand-to-hand is better than I expected," she wheezed.

"Thanks," he said awkwardly still unsure of why she wasn't pressing her advantage, not that he wanted her to kill him. He just didn't understand why she had fought so thoroughly against him just to let him live. It didn't seem in her nature.

"I had best be going," she said standing up after her breathing was under control. "I'll be late for a meeting if I don't." Then she just turned to walk out as if she hadn't been trying to kill him for the past half hour.

"Wait," he said, finally able to collect enough strength and will power to stand again, though it was mostly just will power. "Why?" She turned, an innocent expression on her face as if she didn't understand his question so he tried again. "Why fight and not finish me off?"

She laughed, a full-blown laugh instead of the chuckle or huff that she usually used. "You really thought I was trying to kill you?" Instead of the anger or sadness he had seen in her eyes before, he could have sworn that he can see her amusement dancing in them.

He quickly glanced back at the mess they had made of his private gym. There were barbells flung all over the place from their attempt to hit each other with them. There were holes in the walls where one or the other had to dodge at the last minute. He was reasonably sure that he would never be able to get his treadmill to work again from the dents and bends in its frame. He looked back at her. "Yes."

She laughed again. "Vakarian, as good as you are, if I had been trying to kill you, I would have. Hell, if I had even been trying to hurt you, I would have, at least, connected a few times."

She had a point there. She was a badass assassin, and still she hadn't landed one punch. It didn't really make sense. "Then why fight me at all?"

She leveled him with a glare his training officer had once given him. It was a look of someone more experienced and knowledgeable trying to get someone to see the obvious. "You're dead on your feet, Vakarian, but even I could see the tension keeping you awake. I know turians only have two good ways to relieving stress, and only one option was on the table."

His mandibles flared in shock and embarrassment. He knew what the other option was that was was referencing, and he didn't know what to say in response. "Ah, thanks," he finally managed.

"Anytime," she says with a wave over her shoulder. She's headed to the door, and he couldn't help but stare after her still rather shocked at everything that had happened since she broke in. At the door, she turned around with a smirk and amusement dancing in her eyes. "You really should upgrade the encryption code on your door by the way." And then she was gone.

And though he knew she was right, he couldn't help but stumble back to his bedroom. He didn't even take the time to remove his sweaty and ripped clothing before falling into bed, literally, and within seconds, he was sound asleep. He didn't even hear his Omni-tool beep when the Council called to tell him the news.

*****

David Anderson hated the elevators on the Citadel. They never went fast enough, but he quickly told himself that he shouldn't complain. After he and his crew had been dismissed from the Council chambers with little more than Saren's removal from the Spectres, he had done some digging, and he found a contact that had agreed to try to get them back on the case.

He had given the crew twenty-four hours leave and had set off for Flux in civilian clothes, just as his contact had requested. If he wasn't so desperate to take Saren down, he wouldn't have left the Normandy at all with Lieutenant Alenko acting as he was, but his contact had been adamant. The entire ride down to the Ward level that housed the club he worried about the man.

Doctor Chakwas had assured the Captain that there was nothing physically wrong with the lieutenant, but the images from the beacon were almost more that the man's overworked head could manage. Anderson couldn't imagine the pain caused by an L2 implant and the chilling images of the Reapers killing billions of Protheans, and he could see that the strain was getting to him. There was nothing they could do other than to give him migraine medicine when they flared up, but that was nothing more than a bandage.

He pushed such worries to the back of his mind as he stepped into the club though, looking around quickly for his contact. When he didn't see her on the main level, he went up to the small balcony and found her sitting at a table in a dark corner. Though her hair was still dyed, her face covered in makeup, and contacts in her eyes, anyone with enough common sense and knowledge would know exactly who she was by her ornate tattoo and high-end visor.

"That was one hell of a disappearing act you pulled earlier today," he said sitting in a chair across from her. His favorite drink was already waiting for him. He dipped one of his fingers into it and allowed a drop to fall on his Omni-tool for analysis. He didn't think she would poison him, but it was always best to err on the side of caution with her.

She took a sip from her own drink before she answered. "At least this time I had Spectres come after me instead of just disappearing into thin air. You're a good soldier, but I doubt the brass would believe your innocence a second time around." He remembered that occasion. She had gotten caught and had just disappeared into thin air right out of the brig in the middle of space; if she hadn't already done it to several captains before him, his military career would have likely been over. But later that night when he had retired to his bunk, he found a data-pad with some information about a batarian slaver raid. He still wasn't sure how she had pulled off her escape or why she had even felt the need to pass him the information.

"You said that you might have a way to get my team back in the Saren investigation," he said, getting right down to business. Shepard wasn't much one for small talk, and neither was he. Besides, the sooner he could get the information, the sooner he would be able to return to the ship to keep an eye on Alenko.

"I do," she said making eye contact with him for the first time since he sat down, "but it will depend on how far you are willing to go." Her answer wasn't exactly what he had wanted to hear, but he had some inkling about where this was going. She had said she could get his team back on the mission, but she hadn't said him.

"That's going to depend on what you're asking from me," he answered finally taking a drink. The whiskey burned as it went down his throat, but it was a good sort of pain. Besides, it was likely he would need the cushion of alcohol for what she was going to say next.

"The Spectre the Council is sending after Saren will need the Normandy's stealth drive," she said, pausing for dramatic effect, "and as his advisor, I asked the Council to request to borrow it. The only way it will work, though, is if he's in charge." Overall, it wasn't as bad as he had expected, but not by much. He was going to have to give up his command and trust his crew's safety to her and some unknown Spectre. With Alenko struggling as he was, he wasn't sure if that was a good idea.

"I don't know if I can do that," he told her, taking another drink. He couldn't just stand aside and leave his people in the hands of an assassin and Spectre, not if he wasn't sure that they would be adequately taken care of.

Shepard didn't look surprised that he didn't feel comfortable with letting his people go under someone else's command. "I understand your hesitation, but I cannot address your objections without knowing what they are." She had an open look about her, and he knew that she truly wanted to put him at ease. They had done some work together before, under the Alliance's command, and though she could be absolutely ruthless, she was also honorable in her own right. She never broke a promise or a contract, and she honestly cared for the people who worked for her. Did that stop her from sacrificing them when the mission called for it? No, but she did do right for them whenever she could.

For a moment, the thought about whether or not he really wanted to share his concerns with her. No matter how honest and honorable he thought she was, she was still an assassin and mercenary, and she made no excuses for it. Anything he told her could potentially be put to her own purposes eventually. "If you're out for Saren's blood like I think you are, then you know that my Staff Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko is a biotic," he said really cautiously. She just nodded. "He's an L2." That caused her eyebrows to almost reach her hairline, but she stayed quiet. "He has no major complications past some migraines every now and then, and he's a good soldier. The visions he received from the prothean beacon on Eden Prime seems to be too much for him."

She nodded her head in understanding. "I saw that he looked overwhelmed when we were chasing after Tali," she said taking another sip from her drink. "His brain charts were off the charts though, but I just attributed it to an unstable biotic amp. Good to know the real reason; doesn't seem like such a pussy now." This last bit had him throwing up walls of caution. He didn't know how she had gotten a reading on Alenko's brain charts, and it had him very worried. She seemed to notice his discomfort and tapped her vision a couple of times. "Always take detailed readings of people I haven't worked with before."

Every time he talked with her, he figured out a new way that she was paranoid. "I trust you with my life, Shepard," he said turning away from her for a second just to make sure there was no one listening in though he knew that, if anyone was, Shepard would figure it out long before him, "but I'm not sure if I want to put my people's lives in your hands."

She chuckled that short dismissive chuckle that she did. "Good to know that you haven't changed, Anderson. If it makes you feel better, I don't even want to take them with me, but the Normandy is the only ship that will get me anywhere near Saren without being blown out of the sky." She had a point there. If there was one thing he knew about Shepard, it was just how good at strategy she was, and if she said she needed the Normandy, then she would definitely need the Normandy.

"I can understand that, Shepard," he said, rubbing his hands together. It was a nervous tick he had picked out somewhere, and he knew Shepard would see it was such. She would also know to push the topic so he decided to cut her off at the pass and say it himself. "If you were to promise me that you will protect them, then I would feel more comfortable allowing them under your command."

She took a deep breath, and her eyes went wide and flittered back and forth quicker than he could keep up. It was a look that said she was calculating risk and rewards; he just had to sit back for her to finish her calculations. Then she stopped and looked directly at him. "I can promise that I will do whatever I have to do to keep your people alive: including my own death but not the failure of the mission."

"I can accept that promise," he said standing up and finishing the whiskey in his glass. "I'll see you on the Normandy, Shepard." He left going back to his apartment. After all these years, he had kept it; it reminded him of his past and kept him grounded for his future. Over the years, it had become a better and better investment, and he couldn't convince himself to part with it, even though he could afford a nicer one now.

*****

When Kaidan woke up from the pain and sleep medications that Chakwas had given him, he found out that the Captain had given everyone twenty-four hour leave and had disappeared onto the Citadel. He was surprised and annoyed by this. He understood that the Council had explicitly told them to not investigate Saren or to go anywhere near him, but that didn't stop him from wanting to. He had thought Anderson would have shared his feelings, and they would be off into the galaxy picking up what traces they could find.

Instead, he was stuck on the Citadel. Williams volunteered to go exploring with him since neither one of them had been able to spend much time in the station before. They ended up wandering the Presidium, accidentally entering Sha'ira's, gawking at the various sights, and stocking up on ammo and armor mods. They even ended up back in the council chambers wondering how they got cherry blossom trees on the Citadel and always in bloom.

They eventually made it down to the Wards because he still had to give Emily Wong that data from Fist's computer. They also checked in on Doctor Michel, who was still a little shaken up but doing well. They went to every shop in the markets, and they both ended up buying new weapons. They might never be able to use them against Saren, but there would be other bad guys that would need their bodies filled with lead.

They even saw Anderson sitting with a beautiful blonde in Flux, but they didn't want to interrupt. Well, to be fair, he did. He wanted answers about why they weren't going after Saren and why he was on a date on the Citadel instead of tracking down the bastard that had killed two members of his crew. Williams stopped him though. She reminded him that Anderson had been trying to beat Saren since before either of them had joined the Alliance; if anyone needed a breather after this set back, it was Anderson.

So he let her lead him out of the club to pursue some guy stealing credits from some gambling machine. In the end, it turned out to be an illegal AI, and he had to race against a timer to disable the self destruct. For the entire five seconds he was fighting with the AI, he felt like his old self. He felt like Kaidan Alenko the geeky tech specialist that just happened to have a defunct biotic fitting instead of the biotic freak who was having difficulty keeping it all together. It was just the breather he needed to get his head straightened out. For the first time since Eden Prime, he slept a dreamless sleep, even the beacon images let him be.

*****

Wrex didn't even bother to look to see who had sat beside him when he heard the chair move. "Shepard," he said in greeting as he took another long drink from his glass. He wasn't surprised that she had found him; he was sitting in the newly promoted dingiest bar on the Citadel. It couldn't have been hard for her to find him.

"Wrex," she responded as she waved the bartender over. He scurried over quickly since she was well-known in this establishment. The owner owed her free drinks for life for something that Wrex wasn't privy to.

They sat in silence while Shepard's drink arrived, and she quickly threw it back and ordered another. The second one lasted far longer. "You want me help you against Saren, don't you?" he said allowing his focus to stay on a dancing Asari behind the bar.

"Would it be too much to ask?" she said quietly, and he had to look over at her. She looked like shit, like she hadn't slept in days and she had gone through an emotional ringer. She just looked broken; he had never seen her so unfocused. The thing was no one else would know it from looking at her, but she could have been a Krogan for all of the emotion she portrayed. The only way he could read her was because hot his heritage. "I really need a friend in this, Wrex."

He chewed on that for a minute or two. Was he willing to put aside several months to a year of his time to help her catch Saren? He most certainly wouldn't be paid for his trouble. She had spent most of her money already or else she would have made an employment offer already. Did he value her friendship that much?

Yes. Yes, he did.

"Alright, Shepard," he agreed almost haphazardly. "But you had best come up with a way to compensate me for my time."

She looked at him surprised. She really hadn't expected him to say yes; he knew she wasn't surprised that he wanted compensation. They were both mercenaries. She thought it over for a minute, and he knew he would be able to tell how thankful she was by how generous her terms were. He had left it rather open ended.

"How about I forgive any outstanding favors you owe, you get second pick of any equipment we find, and I owe you one big one in return?" she said after several moments of thought. Those were very generous terms; she must have been more overwhelmed than he thought if she appreciated him that much. Or maybe, she expected this to go longer than he did.

It didn't matter; he would stick with her until the end. She was a good friend, and he knew that she was good for it in the end.


End file.
